Attachment plug



March 31. 1925. 1,531,604

A. C. GAYNOR ATTACHMENT PLUG Filed June 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR IVWQU/"C. 5 a 770/" T GMAT, (iv/11L ATTORNEY March 31. 1925. 1,531,604

A. c. GAYNOR ATTACHMENT PLUG Filed June 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet .rly,

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

Y ARTHUR C. GAYNOB, OI STRATFORD, CONNEOTICU '1. ATTACHMENT PLUG.

Application and June a, 1921.

To all whom it may 'tiorwem:

Be it known that I, ARTH R C. GAYNOF. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stratford, county of Falrfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachment Plugs, of which the following is aspecification.

nectors or attachment plugs and particularly to means for quickly, easily and positivel detaching them from the terminals to w ich they have been connected, without exerting any strain on the conductors or the contacts connected thereto.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments thereof.

In the drawings:

1g. 1 is an elevation with parts-insection showing one .form of an attachment plug adapted for use in connection with various electrical appliances, the drawing showing the plug attached to an electric sad-iron.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 4 is a' view similar to Fig. 1 showing one of the contacts.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of theplu detached.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing a different form of lug such as used in unection with'wall, oor or other receptacles and the like.

Fig. 7 is a face view of the plug shown in Fig. 6. V

Figs. 8 and 9 are sections on the correslzppondingly numbered section lines of i 7.

,eferring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclu- 'sive, the attachment plug comprises a body which encloses a pair of contacts C and C. and supports a reciprocating member D Y which is adapted to be moved relatively said body and impinge on a fixed part of he device to which the plug is connected in order'to detach the plug.

Heretofore plugs of this type have not been provided with means for disconnecting them from. theterminals to which they ave been connected, and users frequently disconnect them by pulling on the connec- This invention relates to electrical conwhich form iexpmssly unde particular form of construction of socket Serill I0, 474,394.

tion wires. This puts an excessive strain on the conducting wires and on the contacts to which the wires are connected and often renders them inoperative or breaks the electrical connection therewith.

s shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the body B is made of two halves 10 and 10 having chain- ,bers 11-11 formed therein to accommodate the contacts C C'. The body can be made of an approved insulating material. The chambers .11 and 11 are shaped to hold the contacts C and C, which may be of any approved construction, in the position shown, the shoulders 12 holding the contacts in place by reason of the .lodgment of the screws 50 in thesocket 12 formed therebetween. The flanges 13 also protect the ends of the contacts. The halves 10 and 10' 'extremi'ty'of the member D and is adapted to limit the downward movement thereof by striking the shoulder 20. The offset or shoulder 22 limits the movement of the member in the other direction by interference with the shoulder 22 which is so located astocoact' with the inner 'or small end of the shoulder 20 to limit'this move- Infant 5' The contacts C and C, as above stated, may be of any approved construction well known in the art, that is. they may be adapted to engage only cylindrical terminals .or only flat or knife blade terminals, but preferably they are so constructed as to engage either cylindrical or flat knife blade terminals, a very eflicient form for this'engagement bein shown and described in the patent to lifiord E. Treat No. 1,189,024 dated June 20, 1916. It is to be however, that the members f rms no part of this present inon the halves 10 and 11' socket memberor contact may be used.

I have shown a conventional form of contact which is composed of cupped members and 40, the member 30 having ears 31 formed thereon through which fits the inner end of the member 40, a screw 50 securing the two together. The members and 30 are flared outwardy at 40 and 30 and are provided with side flanges 32 and 42. The screws also serve to connect the wires W. W to the contact or socket members. These wires are protected by the usual spring-like flexible armor-A clamped in the cavity a formed inthe body B of the insulation. By such a construction the contacts are adapted to engage either cylindrical or flat knife-blade terminals of various electrical appliances such as electric toasters, percolators, sad-irons, the latter being illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.,

This iron consists of the usual base having a suitable heating element therein which is connected with the terminals T and T which aresecured to the body 61 in the usual manner. The plug is attached by inserting it in the receptacle 62 carried by the handle 63 and thus causing the contacts C and C to embrace the terminals T and T. To remove the plug without exerting any strain on the conductors or the contacts the fore-finger and middle finger grasp the bead b of the body B of the plug and the thumb is placed on top of the bead 21 of the member D and the fingers are drawn toward the thumb causing the member D "to impinge on the washer 64 on the iron and the body B to move relatively to the member D and ma direction to break the connection between thevv terminals T and the contacts, or in other words, to detach the l In Figs. 6 to 9, I have shown another embodiment of the invention applied to attachment plugs adapted to be used in connection with receptacles installed in baseboards and simiar locations. The plug P carries contacts C -C adapted to engage suitable jaws carried in the receptacle R. The plug is slotted at to slidably support the member D. This memberis rectangular in shape and is slotted at 71 as shown to permit the introduction of the conductor wires W'f. through the cene tral opening 72 shown in Fig. 9. The wires W" 2 are threaded through the slot 71 ando ening 72 and their bared ends are secure to the contacts by terminal screws 74. as shown in Figs. 7 and 9.

The member D is flared at its upper end and forms 'wingsd. and d, providing shoulders 7 3 and 7 3' for impingement upon the upper surface of the, insulating body P, when the member D is in its lowermost position. The memberD disconnects the plug from the receptacle R by the pressure of the bridge portion 75 on the receptacle as the member D is pushed to its lowermost position. The bridge portion 75 also serves to prevent the member D from falling out of the plug as it is engaged by the conducting wires W where they emerge at the point 'Y from the insulating cover P. From this construction, it is clear that the plug can be readily detached from a receptacle by the user grasping it between two fingers and placing the thumb on the mem ber D and drawing the fingers toward the thumb, as shown in the construction illustrated in F igs.= 1 to 5 inclusive.

While I have-described in great detail the specific construction of the embodiments illustrated, it is not to be inferred that I am limited thereto as changes in construction and arrangement can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An attachment plug having electrical contacts adapted to engage electrical terminals having a support independent of said plug and means on said plug movable relatively to said contacts against saidterminal support to disconnect said contacts from their coacting terminals.

2. An attachment plug having electrical contacts adapted to engage electrical terminals havinga support independent of said plug, a sliding member on said plug guided between said contacts adapted to be moved relatively thereto against said terminal support to break the connection between thecontacts and the terminals, and means for limiting the extent of movement of said sliding member.

3. An attachment plug comprising a body portion having contact chambers formed therein, adapted .to receive contact terminals from an independent member, contacts in said. chambers, and a member slidable rela tively to said contacts guided between said contacts and adapted to press against said independent terminal member to disengage said plug therefrom.

v 4. An attachment plug comprising a body portion having contact-chambers adapted to engage terminals inserted thereinto from an independent support contacts in said chambers, and a slidable member ofinsulating material forming a barrier between tacts located in said chambers and a slidable member carried in said guides and adapted to be moved relatively to said body portion against said independent support to detach the plug.

6. An attachment plug comprising a body consisting of two half sections having chambers formed therein, adapted to re ceive terminals from an independent support, longitudinal guiding shoulders formed on each of said half sections, spring contacts located in said chambers and a member guided by said longitudinal shoulders and adapted to be moved relatively thereto against said independent support to detach the plug.

7 An attachment plug comprising a body portion having contact members located in chambers formed therein, adapted to receive contact terminals from an independent support, flexible conductors connected to said contact members and a. slidable mem ber guided by said body portion and adapted to be moved relatively thereto against said independent support so as to detach the plug.

8. An attachment plug comprising a body, portion having contact members located in chambers formed therein, adapted to receive contact terminals from an independent support, flexible conductors connected to said contact members and a slidable member guided by said body portion and adapted to be moved relatively thereto against said independent support so as to detach the plug, and means for limiting the extent of movement of said slidable member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Bridgeport, county of F airfield, State of Connecticut, this 12 day of May, 1921.

ARTHUR C. GAYNOR. 

